FIU vs. UTSA Picks and Predictions, Friday, December 26th, 2025

The FIU Panthers (7-5) and the UTSA Roadrunners (6-6) will meet in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on ESPN on the night after Christmas in this FIU vs. UTSA prediction. FIU finished the season with an easy 56-16 road win over Sam Houston, easily covering the 10.5-point spread as favorites. UTSA closed with a home loss, going down to Army 27-24 and losing outright as 8.5-point favorites. Kickoff is set for 8:00 EST from Gerald J. Ford Stadium, on the campus of SMU. Keep reading to see our FIU vs. UTSA prediction, and check out all of our best College Football Picks!

FIU Finishes with Four Straight Wins

The FIU Panthers are bringing positive momentum into the bowl season, as they turned around their season late by winning their last four games. Their most impressive win of the season was when they went on the road to Western Kentucky, and won 25-6 as 10-point underdogs. They were listed as small underdogs in two of their late wins, as they took down Middle Tennessee State 56-30 as a 1-point dog, and Liberty 34-27 as 2.5-point dogs. The Panthers will have both of their top two quarterbacks for this game, as they were battling injuries late, but the team has seen several of their players already head to the transfer portal and will miss this game.

The most notable group that will be disadvantaged due to the transfer portal is FIU's secondary, as three players who played over 480 snaps each will all miss this game. They will also be without their starting right tackle. With that many key players missing in the secondary, it is clear the Panthers' offense will have to be efficient to stay in this game. Keyone Jenkins is their starting quarterback, he was QB1 to start the season, but then missed a few games in the middle of the season before finally returning in the finale against Sam Houston. Jenkins is a 6'0 junior with 1,693 passing yards to go with his 9-5 TD-INT ratio. We may also see 6'4 senior Joe Pesansky at quarterback, as he helped lead the team to late victories and has 919 yards and a 9-6 TD-INT ratio.

Kejon Owens is a major threat out of the backfield, the senior finished 10th in the nation in rushing with 1,298 yards and punched in 11 touchdowns. Alex Perry had over 500 more receiving yards than any other pass catcher on the team, the 6'5 junior finished the year with 816 yards and nine touchdowns. The defensive unit finished the season with 28 sacks and 12 interceptions. The top defenders who will be in this game include DL Kenton Simmons (6 sacks), and LB Johnny Chaney Jr. (99 tackles).

Injury Report for FIU:

• Out: CB Mister Clark (776 snaps), FS Jessiah McGrew (769 snaps), CB Victor Evans (481 snaps), RT Daniel Michel (454 snaps)

Roadrunners Just Make Bowl Season

The UTSA Roadrunners had a .500 season across the board, as they finished 6-6 overall and 4-4 in league play in the AAC. They became bowl eligible in their second to last game of the season, when they took down East Carolina 58-24 at home as 1-point underdogs. UTSA has four defensive starters who have already entered the transfer portal and not play in this game, as both teams will be trying to patch up holes in their defense. In their last game of the season, the Roadrunners fell to Army despite getting 266 passing yards and two touchdowns from Owen McCown in the loss.

McCown is part of the family tree that sent several quarterbacks to the NFL. He is the son of Josh McCown who played in the NFL from 2002-2020. Owen McCown is having a strong season for UTSA, as he has 2,700 passing yards and a strong 27-7 TD-INT ratio. He will not look to leave the pocket much, he finished the regular season with just two rushing yards from scrimmage. Robert Henry Jr. is the go-to for UTSA when they need to run the ball, he finished the regular season with 1,045 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, but has been quiet as of late as he has not rushed for over 100 yards in a game since October 18th against North Texas.

Devin McCuin is their top wideout, the 6'0 junior caught 59 passes for 653 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Notable players who will miss this game due to the transfer portal include DE Kenny Ozowalu (3 sacks), DT Chidera Otutu (28 tackles), CB Davin Martin (26 tackles), CB KK Meier (5 pass deflections). Their defense finished the season with 22 sacks and nine interceptions. Their top defensive players in this game will include LB Nnanna Anyanwu (5 sacks) and LB Shad Banks Jr. (3 interceptions).

Injury Report for UTSA:

• Out: DT Chidera Otutu (287 snaps), DE Kenny Ozowalu (341 snaps), CB Davin Martin (437 snaps), CB KK Meier (399 snaps)

FIU vs. UTSA Picks and Predictions

Spread pick for FIU vs. UTSA

•  UTSA - 6 (5 units)

This is a unique bowl game, as both teams have several defensive starters hitting the transfer portal and opting out, but the offenses are seemingly at full strength. Given this scenario, UTSA is the better play, as having one strong quarterback is better than trying to play two average signal callers. McCown was electric in the pocket this season, finishing the regular season with 27 passing touchdowns against only seven interceptions. This will lead to a huge number going up on the board for the Roadrunners, as FIU is going to be without three of their starters in the secondary. The Panthers will not be able to keep up, as neither Jenkins or Pesansky will be able to lead their offense to score the amount needed to keep this game close. With all these starters out on defense for both teams, simply take the better quarterback and cash your bets.

Take UTSA to cover

Over/Under Pick for FIU vs. UTSA

• Over 59.5 (4 units)

This number is surprisingly low given the circumstances each team finds themselves in. Florida International is without three of their starters in the secondary, there are going to be open passing lanes all over the field for McCown, and UTSA is going to light up the scoreboard. UTSA scored 61 on Rice and 58 on East Carolina, expect more of the same here as they will not find much resistance from the Panthers' defense. UTSA is also down two cornerbacks, and two members of their defensive line, which similarly is going to allow FIU to score above their average. The weather looks clear in Dallas for this game, and we will see a track meet that goes well over the number.

Take the over.